Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Reader and neighbor Karen Ramsey sent in an update on local bike shop The Daily Rider (600 H Street NE) that appears below (slightly edited for time formatting).

The Daily Rider is finally being cleared to open in their new space at 600 H Street NE. Today, January 31st will be an open house during regular hours for customers to drop in and explore the new space or schedule a bike tune-up or repairs. They expect to be fully up and running on February 1st. Hours remain the same (M-F from 10am–7pm; Sat 10am–6pm; Sun 12–6pm).

Police arrested 18-year-old Dekale Bowman, of NE, in the death of 16 year old Taiyania Thompson. Thompson was found with a gunshot wound to the head this past Thursday afternoon inside an apartment in the 1000 block of Mt. Olivet Road NE. She was hospitalized, but died Sunday. Bowman is charged with Second Degree Murder.

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

I can tell you right now that it's going to be an interesting campaign season in Ward 5 this year. And that's despite the fact that the current Councilmember for Ward 5, Kenyan McDuffie, is almost certainly going to retain his seat. So far he has four challengers hoping to obtain enough signatures to make it onto the ballot for the June 19th Democratic primary. One of those challengers is already a very familiar name to many in our area. Kathy Henderson, current Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner for 5D05, will make her fifth bid for the seat. She's run every time the seat has come up since 2006 (2010, special election in 2012, and again in 2014).

Monday, January 29, 2018

A vehicle of interest in Thursday's fatal shooting of 16 year old Taiyania Thompson

The victim in a shooting Thursday afternoon has succumbed to her injuries. Police responding to a call for a shooting at an apartment building about 3:10pm January 25th found 16 year old Taiyania Thompson suffering from a gunshot wound to the head inside an apartment. She was rushed to a hospital, but died yesterday. According to an MPD press release "[p]reliminary information suggests that this offense is potentially domestic in nature."

Police released the image above of a vehicle of interest. The vehicle is described as a 2017 white Kia Sorento SUV with a Maryland tag of 1DD2833. The car may have front end damage.

Friday, January 26, 2018

A 16 year old was critically wounded in a shooting inside an apartment in the 1000 block of Mt. Olivet Road NE just after 3pm yesterday. The victim was shot in the head. This in Ivy City, just north of Gallaudet University's campus. Police detained a man who was near the scene when they arrived and they initially described him as a person of interest. They also indicated they were still looking for a suspect and motive. There's been a lot of news coverage, and I've listed some of the stories below. Please note that the Washington Post story does contain the line "about five blocks from where the killing occurred," but also refers to the victim as "critically injured" I haven't seen any other reports indicating the victim has died, so as far as I can tell she is still alive.

Thursday, January 25, 2018

Vietnamese pop-up restaurant Ðôi Ðũa, which generally operates on a reservations system at Shopkeepers (1231 Florida Avenue NE) is doing something a little different this weekend. This Sunday (1/28) they'll serve up bowls of phở to walk-ins on a first-come-first-served basis starting at 11am and continuing until they sell out. Doors open at 11am for $14 bowls of beef phở "with slow cooked brisket, meatballs, thinly sliced rare beef, all the fixin's, and Chinese doughnuts for dipping."

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Mark your calendar now for the return of Art in the Alley Saturday, April 28th. The organizers of Trinidad's annual festival took last year off, but the move to spring should avoid scheduling conflicts during the District's busy fall festival season. Details should be released soon for artists hoping to participate.

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT), along with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) will hold a public meeting tonight to provide an update on the Union Station to Georgetown (USGT) Streetcar Environmental Assessment (EA) and to discuss potential storage and maintenance sites that have been identified for the new USGT streetcar vehicles.

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

This still from video of last night's meeting shows Commissioners Henderson, Butler, and Lewis voting to support Kathy Henderson in her unsuccessful bid for Chair of ANC 5D

Advisory Neighborhood Commission 5D, which includes Carver-Langston, Trinidad, Gallaudet University, Union Market, and Ivy City, held a special meeting to elect officers last night. As usual local resident Edward Milton was on hand to record the proceedings so we can all watch what happened. Those videos appear below.

The Bruery Store at Union Market (513 Morse Street NE) will hold its grand openingcelebration tomorrow starting at 11am. It pays to stop by early to check it out as they'll have giveaways and special deals for their first 200 or so visitors. You can follow them on Twitter or Facebook to stay up to date on news at the local shop. Normal operating hours are 11am–8pm Tuesday through Saturday.

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

A reader sent me a piece from the Wall Street Journal titled "U.S. Warned Jared Kushner About Wendi Deng Murdoch" that has a local link you might not expect. The article is about intelligence community worries regarding a Chinese-American woman (and American citizen) named Wendi Deng Murdoch who is apparently good friends with Kusher and Ivanka Trump. She's also the ex-wife of Rupert Murdoch, and the WSJ cited a source who suggested officials "had concerns about a counterintelligence assessment that [she] was lobbying for a high-profile construction project funded by the Chinese government in Washington, D.C." The article quotes a spokesperson for Ms. Murdoch as saying she "has absolutely no knowledge of any garden projects funded by the Chinese government."

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Stop by our local &pizza (1118 H Street NE) tomorrow (Wednesday, 1/17) 3–8pm and you can help out a local school when you pick up your dinner. All you have to do is show the staff the image above and the restaurant will donate $2 from each pizza to support students at J.O. Wilson Elementary (660 K Street NE).

Tickets are now available for a special five course dinner at Sally's Middle Name (1320 H Street NE) featuring selections from Channing Daughters Winery (Bridgehampton, NY). This dinner is part of Sally's new cheese program, which "features American made, artisanal cheeses. It goes beyond the traditional cheese plate, highlighting the unique qualities of some of the best cheese the country has to offer." Each course highlights an artisanal cheese and paired with a pour of Channing Daughters wine.

Monday, January 15, 2018

Screenshot of a video filmed by Edward Milton of the Jan. 9, 2018 ANC 5D meeting

Advisory Neighborhood Commission 5D, which represents Trinidad, Carver-Langston, Union Market, and Ivy City, will hold a public special meeting Monday, January 22nd. At this meeting the commissioners will vote to elect new officers for the Commission. They tried to elect officers at the regularly scheduled January monthly meeting, but only six of the seven commissioners were present. Bernice Blacknell (5D04), was out sick. Two attempts to choose a new Chair resulted in ties. Commissioners Clarence Lee (5D07) and Kathy Henderson (5D05) both stood for Chair at the regular January meeting, and I expect them both to be candidates for the same position at the special meeting.

Thursday, January 11, 2018

The Washington Post has an update on the new vegan restaurant coming our way from the Philadelphia based team behind Vedge and V Street [LINK PLAYS MUSIC]. The new spot opening at 600 H Street NE was to recreate the V Street Concept, but the name has now changed to Fancy Radish. To go along with the new name is a shift to bring in more elements of Vedge.

There's a ton a fun stuff happening in our neck of the woods this weekend. On Friday the Community Collective Photography Showcase opens at Capital Fringe (1358 Florida Avenue NE). This third installment of the showcase features works from local artists, as well as those hailing from further flung locals. You can visit The Community Collective on Instagram. The event starts at 7pm, and the Fringe Arts Bar will open at 6:30pm.

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Here's the full playlist of videos for last night's ANC 5D meeting. Thanks to Edward Milton for taping and uploading it so quickly (you can also watch video of the December meeting if you are so inclined). Just a warning, last night's meeting ran very long (about 3 hours). I wasn't at last night's meeting, and I haven't had a chance to watch the video yet, so the details below rely on tweets from a local resident (@ker_dc) who frequently live tweets these meetings. If you want to read tweets from last night's meeting you can search #ANC5D on Twitter.

Tuesday, January 09, 2018

Gallery O on H (1354 H Street NE) presents works by District-based photographer Karen Cohen in her upcoming show Phantasm. Cohen is an award winning digital artist/photographer/photojournalist. The show, which runs through January 26th, will have an opening reception 7–9:30pm Friday, January 12th. The HillRag has a write-up on Cohen and her work, and you might also be interested in the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (CHAW) Mind of the Artist profile from August.

Monday, January 08, 2018

Sasha Bruce Youthwork is the only organization in the District specifically focused on ending youth homelessness. Their mission is to help young people find safe homes, and provide access to much needed resources.

Sasha Bruce Youthwork will hold a Open House Wednesday, January 17th 6-8pm at the Bruce House (1022 Maryland Avenue NE). They invite all neighbors to visit, learn about the organization, and meet some of the young people. Please RSVP to mreynolds[at]sashabruce.org.

Friday, January 05, 2018

A lot of local beer fans are going to be very excited to see The Bruery open their first local brick and mortar outpost. The Bruery is a California-based "boutique craft brewery...specializing in barrel aged and experimental ales." The Bruery Store at Union Market (513 Morse Street NE) will officially open its doors to the public with a celebration on Friday, January 19th at 11am (closing time is 8pm). To mark the occasion they'll have giveaways, special sales, and also events around town. You must be 21+ and carrying valid ID for all giveaways and specials.

Thursday, January 04, 2018

Gallery O on H (1354 H Street NE) hosts their annual Three Kings Party Saturday, January 6th 13th 8-11pm. Come celebrate with live music. Eat King Cake. Learn your future...and whether it might include a crown. This event has been rescheduled from its original date due to very cold temperatures.

Wednesday, January 03, 2018

A note now greets would-be diners at Driftwood Kitchen (400 H Street NE).
The note reads "To Our Neighborhood Friends: Driftwood Kitchen is now closed. We want to thank you for your support." If some local chatter is to be believed the restaurant's employees were given no notice of the impending closure, and were told of the layoffs only during their final night of work.

Driftwood Kitchen opened in October of 2014 with an impressive space and cocktails and food to match. No word yet on what might replace Driftwood. I reached out to Driftwood for comment on the closure this morning, but I have not heard back. Here's hoping all the employees can secure solid jobs quickly after this rocky start to the year.

ANC 5D Meeting 1/9Advisory Neighborhood Commission 5D will hold its regular monthly meeting Tuesday, January 9th at 7pm at the 5th District MPD Station at 1805 Bladensburg Road NE.

H Street NE in WSJ Piece on Declining Homicide Rates in LA & DCThe Wall Street Journal mentioned H Street recently in an article (behind a paywall) on what makes cities safer. The piece was the second in a two part look at homicides in four cities (Chicago, Baltimore, the District of Columbia, and Los Angeles). Homicide rates rose in the first two cities, and fell in the latter two. Anwar Saleem of H Street Main Street was among those interviewed for the portion covering the District.

Monday, January 01, 2018

There's a new ABRAapplication for TRUTH Hookah/Cigar Lounge, to be located at 1220 H Street NE. The ABRA application indicates the lounge will have seating for 95 patrons and a total occupancy load of 198. There will be both live entertainment and dancing.

A Go Fund Me page, that appears to have been set up by owner Demasion Thompson in late November, explains that the lounge will have a special cigar area and two bars.